Every junction asks the same underlying question: who goes first? The trouble is, the answer depends entirely on what type of junction you're at, and mixing up the rules between them is a common source of hesitation and test faults. This guide walks through how priority actually works at T-junctions, crossroads, traffic-light-controlled junctions, and roundabouts, so you can read any junction correctly the moment you approach it.
There Is No General "Give Way to the Right" Rule in the UK
This is worth stating plainly, because it trips up a lot of learners: the UK does not have a blanket rule that traffic from the right always has priority. That rule only applies at roundabouts. Everywhere else, priority comes from give-way lines, stop signs, road markings, and road layout, not from which direction another vehicle happens to be coming from. Get this distinction clear early and the rest of this page becomes much easier to apply correctly.
T-Junctions
At a T-junction, the road you're on ends and joins another road at a right angle. If you're joining from the minor road (the one ending), you must give way to traffic on the major road, whether it's coming from your left or your right. Give-way lines or a stop sign will normally confirm this. You don't necessarily need to stop completely at a give-way line if the road is clearly safe to join, but at a stop sign you must always come to a complete stop, regardless of how clear the road looks.
Crossroads
Crossroads are where things get less automatic. If the crossroads is marked, with give-way lines or signs on one or more approaches, those markings tell you who has priority: the road without markings is the major road, and it has priority over the minor road in both directions.
If the crossroads is unmarked, nobody has automatic priority. This is one of the few genuinely ambiguous situations on UK roads, and it calls for extra caution: slow right down, make eye contact with other drivers where possible, and be prepared to give way even if you technically arrived first.
Turning right at a crossroads when an oncoming vehicle is also turning right adds another layer. There are two ways to do it: turning right side to right side (keeping the other vehicle on your right and turning behind it), or left side to left side (turning in front of each other). Right side to right side is generally the safer method, since it keeps your view of oncoming traffic clear, but road layout, markings, or how the other vehicle has already positioned itself can mean the left-to-left approach is what's actually called for.
Traffic-Light-Controlled Junctions
A green light means you may proceed, but it doesn't automatically mean you have priority over everything else. This catches learners out most often when turning right: a green light alone doesn't give you priority over oncoming traffic unless there's a lit green filter arrow specifically for your turn. Without one, you still need to wait for a safe gap before turning right, even on green.
Roundabouts as a Junction Type
A roundabout is a junction too, just one with its own dedicated priority rule: give way to traffic already on the roundabout, approaching from your right, unless signs, markings or traffic lights say otherwise. This is the one place in the UK where a "give way to the right" rule genuinely applies, which is exactly why it's worth not assuming it applies everywhere else.
Roundabouts come with enough of their own detail, lane choice, signalling, timing, that they get their own full guide. See Approaching Roundabouts for the complete breakdown, along with a dedicated guide to mini roundabouts, and further guides to roundabouts with traffic lights, and multi-lane and spiral roundabouts.
The Thread That Connects Every Junction
Whatever the junction type, the same habits keep you safe: read the junction early using Mirror, Signal, Manoeuvre, decide what it's telling you about priority before you're at the give-way line, and never assume another driver will do what their signal suggests. The junction type changes the specific rule; the routine for approaching it safely doesn't.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it true that traffic from the right always has priority in the UK?
No. That rule only applies at roundabouts. At every other junction type, priority comes from give-way lines, signs, and road markings, not from direction.
What happens at an unmarked crossroads?
Nobody has automatic priority. Slow down, be ready to give way even if you arrived first, and proceed only when it's clearly safe.
Do I have priority at a green light if I'm turning right?
Not automatically. Unless there's a green filter arrow for your turn, you still need to wait for a safe gap in oncoming traffic before turning right, even on green.
Do I have to stop completely at every T-junction?
Only if there's a stop sign, in which case yes, always. At a give-way line, you can proceed without a full stop if the road is clearly safe to join.
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Please note: This is general driving guidance, not a substitute for in-car instruction. The real situation in front of you, and what your instructor tells you, always takes priority over anything written on this page.
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